REPORT:
Speaking from his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Benedict XVI spoke
about Sunday’s Gospel, which tells how Jesus, when He had returned to His
hometown of Nazareth, was rejected by His own people. “This fact is
understandable,” the Pope said, “because familiarity at the human level makes it
difficult to go beyond that and to be open to the divine dimension.”

Jesus was not able to work any miracles in Nazareth – “apart from curing
a few sick people by laying His hands on them” – because the people were closed
off to the spiritual dimension. The Holy Father explained “the miracles of
Christ are not a display of power, but signs of the love of God, which is made
present where it encounters the faith of man.”

And so, the Pope says,
Jesus is “amazed” at the lack of faith among his own people: “How is it possible
that they do not recognise the light of Truth? Why are they not open to the
goodness of God, who has willed to share our humanity?” Pope Benedict says, “In
fact, the man Jesus of Nazareth is God made visible; in Him, God dwells fully.
And while we too always seek other signs, other wonders, we do not realize that
the He is the real sign, God made flesh; He is the greatest miracle of the
universe: all the love of God hidden in a human heart, in a human
face.”

After his explanation of the Gospel, the Holy Father greeted
pilgrims and visitors from around the world. In his remarks to English-speaking
pilgrims, he said, “In today’s Gospel Jesus reminds us that if we live with an
open and simple heart, nourished by true faith, we can recognize the presence of
God in our lives and follow his holy will.”

Finally, speaking to pilgrims
from Poland, Pope Benedict noted an inter-religious prayer service to be held
Sunday evening at the former Nazi concentration camp at Majdanek.
Representatives of the Greek and Latin Catholic Church, from the Orthodox
Church, from the Protestant ecclesial communities and from the Jewish community
will offer prayers for peace throughout the world. “I unite myself spiritually
to these events,” the Pope said, “and I pray for goodness and peace for the
world, for Poland, and for each of you.” He concluded his remarks with a
heartfelt blessing. SHARED FROM VTICAN RADIO

FLOODS IN RUSSIA have killed over 150 people and
displaced thousands. The worst damage occurred in the town of Krymsk. The rains
began Friday till Saturday, July 7 and streams and rivers overflowed. The
waters rose over 7 meters. 12,000 are displaced and over 5,000 homes
affected.

Electric currents in the
waters from downed power lines have also killed some in the waters. Some people
went through the streets in boats. Over 1,500 emergency personnel were on duty
to help victims. (IMAGE SOURCE: GOOGLE)

UCAN REPORT: This 10-storey structure has been built with no
blueprints but a great deal of divine inspiration. BY: BILLY HALLOWELL
Churches come in many shapes and sizes. From inflatable houses of worship to
churches that can be parachuted into areas of combat, the diversity of building
design is certainly intriguing. And to add to the mix, today, we bring you the
highly uncommon tree house chapel.The 100-foot building, called “The Minister’s
Treehouse,” was built in Crossville, Tennessee, over a period of 11 years.
Unlike other houses of worship that are meticulously plotted and blueprinted,
this particular building was constructed without any solidified plans.

Rather than stain-glass windows and perfected
structure, it features wooden panels and is built — you guessed it — around
seven trees. Inside, the church is about 10,000 square feet, but its exact
dimensions aren’t known.

RoadsideAmerica.com has the backstory:In the
early 1990s, landscaper Horace Burgess bought some wooded land on the outskirts
of Crossville, Tennessee. One of the bigger trees, next to a dirt road, caught
his eye. He decided to build the world’s largest tree house in its
branches.But Horace had a job and a family. After spending a couple of years
on the project, he ran out of lumber and enthusiasm.“Then I turned my life
over to God,” Horace recalled. “And the spirit of God said, ‘If you build Me a
tree house, I’ll never let you run out of material.’”God doesn’t make
housing offers every day. Horace got himself ordained as a minister and went
back to work. God showed Horace what the tree house would look like (“It was
like a vision”) but didn’t tell Horace how big it would be. “If He had,” Horace
said, “I would’ve tried to talk Him out of it.”SHARED FROM UCAN
NEWS

JUBA, July 6, 2012 (CISA) -The Catholic
Archbishop of Juba, His Grace Paulino Lukudu Loro and the Archbishop of the
Episcopal Church of Sudan, Most Reverend Daniel Deng Bul, have published a joint
pastoral letter praising the positive developments they have occurred over the
past year and expressed their fears over the deterioration of relations between
Sudan and South Sudan, inter-ethnic conflicts in South Sudan, and the three
on-going civil wars still raging in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile.The
Archbishops acknowledge that there has been progress made in attempts to improve
South Sudan’s infrastructure over the last year, but point out that more needs
to be done to ensure that the majority of South Sudanese have access to basic
services.“The delivery of basic services such as roads, health, education
and water has not met the high expectations of our people,” they said.The
Archbishops strongly appealed for several critical issues set out in the 2005
Comprehensive Peace Agreement to be resolved rapidly, fearing that the two
countries are at risk of reverting back to the bloody civil war.“Relations
between the governments of Sudan and South Sudan have deteriorated to
unacceptable levels. We reject war as an option to resolve disputes, and call
upon all parties to implement a meaningful cease-fire and withdrawal of forces
from the border region,” they stated.The religious leaders also pleaded for
more action to be taken to help end the continuing conflicts in the border
areas, and for instant humanitarian access to be provided.“We are also
concerned that there is no end in sight to Sudan’s three civil wars, in Darfur,
the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile. There is no military solution. We call on all
parties to enter meaningful negotiations. We also call for immediate
international humanitarian access to all these areas.”As well as the threat
of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the west of the country, where
approximately 1,000 people have been murdered in brutal inter-ethnic clashes in
the east in Jonglei state according to the UN, the Archbishops praised Churches
for playing a central role in post-conflict peace building amongst the
communities worst affected by violence.“The nation has addressed some of its
internal problems, most notably the inter-ethnic conflict in Jonglei State, in
which the Church is grateful to God for having had the opportunity to play a
leading role in the peace process.The archbishops concluded by calling for
South Sudan and Sudan to put the well-being of their people first and work
towards a future of development that benefits all.“We reiterate the dream
expressed by the bishops of our two churches when they met in Yei in May 2012: a
dream of two nations which are democratic and free, where people of all
religions, all ethnic groups, all cultures and all languages enjoy equal human
rights based on citizenship,” they remarked.Meanwhile the Archbishop of
Canterbury, Rowan Williams, in a press statement released on July 5 declared
that “peace is the only option” for Sudan and South Sudan and called for urgent
humanitarian assistance in conflict areas.”“Peace is the only option which
can allow the flourishing of South Sudan and its neighbour Sudan,” the
Archbishop of Canterbury warned. He strongly endorsed the joint appeal by the
Anglican and Roman Catholic Archbishops of Juba on the independence
anniversary.“I welcome the vision which the Sudanese Church has set before
us of “two nations at peace with each other, co-operating to make best use of
their God-given resources, promoting free interaction between their citizens,
living side by side in solidarity and mutual respect,” he declared.SHARED
FROM CISA NEWS AFRICA

ASIA NEWS REPORTLaunched in
recent days, the operation involved over 10 thousand agents in 15 provinces.
Involved in the traffic: surgeries, clinics and hospitals. Officials lured
pregnant women and families, promising up to 8 thousand Euros for the sale of
their child. Children older than two years were sold at auction in the provinces
with most requests. In case of illness the children were thrown out during the
trip and left to die in the street.

Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - With a huge
operation in 15 provinces, the Chinese police arrested 802 people involved in
illegal trafficking of babies and children below six years. The intervention of
the police involved over 10 thousand agents inraids on several hospitals in the
provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Sichuan, Fujian, Henan and Yunnan, where for
several years a veritable "consortium "for the sale of babies to be auctioned
had formed. Many of them came from families that had violated the one-child
rule, which forces mothers to forced abortions and sterilizations. In total, the
agents have rescued 181 children who were to be delivered in the coming days to
Chinese and foreign families.

A note from the Ministry of Public Security
said that the operation began in December in Henan with the arrest of four
people aboard a bus carrying a group of children to be auctioned. Questioned by
police, they revealed the names of the bosses of the local trafficking ring. In
April, the investigations were extended to 15 other provinces, from the courier
firms to clinics and hospitals.

From the information gathered by the
agents, the trafficking took place thanks to the complicity of officials who
signaled wealthy families of the opportunity to buy a child from women with
financial problems. Before agreeing, those interested visited the clinics where
they controlled the conditions of the unborn, sex, and in some cases the health
of parents. Children under the age of six years were instead sold at auction. To
avoid attracting attention while traveling, including several long days,
traffickers would forces the infants to take heavy doses of sleeping pills.
Those who fell ill during the journey were simply abandoned on the street in the
bushes and left to die.

Sun Jinli, head of Public Security Zaozhuanf,
Shandong, said doctors pocketed about 700 euros for each child sold. Trafficking
bosses got up to 2 thousand Euros. The tariff for the families could reach
figures in excess of 8 thousand Euros, especially for boys and in good
health.

The
relationship between art and faith will feature in creative ways this year at
the SCENE event in Sydney with pop-up galleries, impromptu performances and
panel discussions with professional artists.Award-winning portrait painter,
Paul Newton will be joined by Catholic artists including a multi-media designer
and professional musicians to discuss art, spirituality and mission on a panel
as part of one of the afternoon workshops on Friday 13 July at St Mary's
Cathedral.Many of Paul Newton's works presently hang in the recently opened
Domus Australia pilgrim centre in Rome, and he has been commissioned by the
Archdiocese of Sydney to complete 32 portraits for the centre that will chart
the Australian Catholic experience.These will include portraits of pioneers
of the Church such as St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Caroline Chisholm, Fr John
Therry and the founder of the Archdiocese of Sydney, Archbishop Bede
Polding.An Archibald Prize finalist, Paul has also completed a magnificent,
large canvas featuring the colony's early Catholics who gathered in secret in
1818, which currently hangs in the beautifully restored St Peter Chanel
Chapel.Newton has nine times been selected a finalist in the Art Gallery of
NSW Archibald Prize competition with portraits of such notables as Maggie
Tabberer, John Laws, Fred Street, Donald McDonald AC and Kate Fischer. His 2001
entry, a portrait of Sydney Olympic Games commentators Roy and HG, won The
Peoples Choice Awards in Melbourne and Sydney as well as the Packers
Prize.He will be joined on the workshop panel by artists working in a
Catholic context and include singer/composer Stephen Kirk from Canberra,
professional musician Bernie Quinn and Clayton Diack, multimedia designer and
illustrator from Catholic Communications in Sydney.

The workshop
entitled The Spirituality and Mission of the Catholic Artist will break open the
affirmation of Pope Paul VI, that artists are "the custodians of beauty". The
panel members will speak and take questions on how they live the call of the
Catholic artist in a contemporary context.An 'Artists for Life' evening will
help kick of the SCENE festivities with a pop up art gallery in a pub on
Castlereagh St featuring 'meet the artist' opportunities. Artists will display
samples of their work and over a drink or two participants can enjoy the
creative space and join in discussions about art and life.Following
performances by some of the actors and musicians Bishop Julian Porteous will
speak about the role of the artist in the life of faith.Paul Newton says he
is delighted with this year's artistic focus of SCENE and is pleased to be
taking part in an event that offers such positive experiences of Catholic
culture. "The beauty, spirituality and enthusiasm of the city events are in
stark contrast to the competing interests of our busy commercial centre" he
says.Remembering the way the city came alive during World Youth Day 2008 he
says, "It was such a positive time in the city. I hope that SCENE will recapture
some of that."He says that SCENE's focus on art and the role it has to play
in the life of faith is very important."I hope that Friday's workshop will
serve to inspire others to think about the arts in terms of spirituality and
mission."To register for SCENE workshops see www.credosydney.org/our-works/scene/scene-2012SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY

And when
he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me upon my feet; and I heard
him speaking to me.

3

And he
said to me, "Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to a nation of
rebels, who have rebelled against me; they and their fathers have transgressed
against me to this very day.

4

The people
also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them; and you shall say to them,
`Thus says the Lord GOD.'

5

And
whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will
know that there has been a prophet among them.

Psalms
123: 1 - 4

1

To thee I
lift up my eyes, O thou who art enthroned in the heavens!

2

Behold, as
the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to
the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he have
mercy upon us.

3

Have mercy
upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of
contempt.

4

Too long
our soul has been sated with the scorn of those who are at ease, the contempt of
the proud

2
Corinthians 12: 7 - 10

7

And to
keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given
me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too
elated.

8

Three
times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me;

9

but he
said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness." I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of
Christ may rest upon me.

10

For the
sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships,
persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Mark
6: 1 - 6

1

He went
away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him.

2

And on the
sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were
astonished, saying, "Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given
to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands!

3

Is not
this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and
Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.

4

And Jesus
said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and
among his own kin, and in his own house."

5

And he
could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick
people and healed them.

6

And he
marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages
teaching.

A
chanter and canon renowned for generosity. A native of Toulouse, France, he was
known originally as Raymond Gayrard. After the death of his wife, he became a
canon of St. Sernin, Toulouse, helping to rebuild the church that became a
popular place for pilgrims. After his death on July 3, many miracles were
reported at his tomb.